Improving morbidity and mortality in patients with pulmonary hypertension: insights from a nation-wide registry

Abstract Background and aims In this retrospective analysis of a nation-wide registry on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), group IV and V, we evaluated management strategies, morbidity and mortality across three consecutive time periods. Methods This study included 903 patients enrolled from 24 cardiology centers participating in the RegiStry on clInical outcoMe and sUrvival in pulmonaRy hypertension Groups (SIMURG II). Patients were divided into three enrollment periods: before 2016, the era of monotherapy or sequential combination therapies; between 2016 and 2019, post-approval and re-imbursement of macitentan in our country, marking a shift towards more proactive sequential combinations; and after 2019, signifying the initiation of earlier sequential combinations with selexipag in PAH. ESC/ERS 2022, COMPERA 2.0 and REVEAL lite 2 models were used for risk predictions. Composite endpoint (CEP) definitions were adopted from the SERAPHIN and GRIPHON trials. Results Age (mean +SD) was 51.27 + 21.37 years, and 72 % were female. Incident cases were noted in 65.9 % of patients. Idiopathic PAH (IPAH), PAH-associated with congenital heart diseases (CHD-PAH), PAH-associated with connective tissue diseases (CTD-PAH), porto-PAH, Group IV and V pulmonary hypertension (PH) were documented in 33 %, 33.5 %, 12 %, 1.6 %, 20 % and 1.7 % of patients, respectively. Background mono and dual targeted combinations, and sequential triple combinations were noted in 17 %, 57 % and 26 % of patients, respectively. Baseline low-, intermediate-, and high-risk were noted in 1.2 %, 14.1 %, and 84.7 %, respectively. Median follow-up time (day) was 867 (412-1667). Overall rates of mortality and CEP were 26 % and 39%, respectively. There were increases in the % of PAH and group IV PH, and decreases in the % of CHD-PAH across the three periods. Prevalent versus incident cases were associated signifinatly lower mortality and CEP ( p=0.028 and p=0.024, respectively). Outcomes for mortality and CEP were predicted by three risk models (p<0.0001 for all). Mortality and CEP rates were 31 % and 44 % in IPAH, 20 % and 39 % in CHD-PAH, 31 % and 43 % in CTD-PAH, and 25 % and 30 % in group IV patients, respectively. In overall PH population, rates of mortality and CEP documented at 1st, 2nd and 3rd periods were 64 % and 67 %, 29 % and 31 %, and 3.5 % and 5.1 %, respectively (p< 0.001, for all). Mortality rates for 1st, 2nd and 3rd periods were 49 %, 39 % and 11 % in IPAH, 62 %, 33 % and 5.3 % in CHD-PAH, 47 %, 45 % and 7.7 in CTD-PAH, and 37 %, 52 % and 11 % in group IV, respectively (p< 0.001, for all). However, mortality curves showed sudden increases in 2020 that might be attributed to COVID-19. Conclusions Our nation-wide data revealed improving survival in the overall PH population, PAH and Group IV PH that might be associated with risk-based earlier targeted combination strategies. However, this trend seems to be counterbalanced with COVID-19 pandemic.